For nearly 20 years, I’ve suffered from heartburn, eosinophilic esophagitis, and a “choking” type feeling. Most gastroenterologists, tests, diets, and medications provided little relief. Allergies caused the worst of it, so antihistamines helped calm it down a bit. Nexium helped the most for the GERD-type symptoms. Otherwise, not much else.
In late 2018, a misdiagnosis of sinusitis (eventually determined to be “TMJ”) resulted in months of antibiotics. This course of action completely unraveled my digestive issues, taking me from a 5/10 issue to a 10/10 illness. Consumption of certain foods resulted in feeling incredibly fatigued, bloated, nauseous, and just outright sick. I started getting symptoms I’ve never experienced before. Here, I once again went on the hunt to figure out what sets me off.
After brainstorm with my family, the FODMAP diet was brought up. It was worth a shot. By mid 2020, I finally discovered my severe intolerance of garlic and onion; something that I was consuming near daily. Most people think about gluten, dairy, or even sugars. What I never imagined would do it is the allium genus. Eliminating any and all traces of these finally brought on relief. I went weeks, and eventually months, without even moderate symptoms.
FODMAP stands for “fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols”. The concept of the FODMAP diet is quite simple – get rid of each food on the list that contains these ‘sugars’, then work backwards to figure out the culprit.
Here’s a go/no-go chart for reference:
Things I never thought were a problem, like chicken noodle soup or hummus, were out of the question. Restaurant going is difficult, and requires careful examination/questioning of the menu. But, being symptom free is life-changing. Once in a while, flareups occur. Activated charcoal really helps me get through those. If constipation presents a problem, GI Detox+ by Biocidin was another one. GasX is alright, my success is limited with it.
When going out, I’ve been trying out FODZYME, which consists of enzymes that help digest FODMAPs. I think it helps reduce the intensity of a flareup. For cooking, Fody is a great replacement for several things like salsa, seasonings, garlic/onion-infused olive oils, and sauces. Smoke n Sanity spices and soup bases are criminally underrated, I own nearly all of them.
If you’re going through a ton of bloating, heartburn, indigestion, and overall problems with your system, try the FODMAP diet. It’s a challenge, but you might uncover your sensitive food, and be able to live discomfort & pain free.